'Stolen bank data sold for £5 online'
09/04/2008 11:04:33
Stolen bank details are being sold online for as little as £5, research has discovered.
Symantec's bi-annual Internet Security Threat Report found that bank account data is the most frequently advertised item on the internet by fraudsters, accounting for 22 per cent of all ID theft details.
The report also found that market forces of supply and demand have a direct impact on pricing, with details for accounts with larger balances priced higher than those with fewer funds.
Identities from the EU cost more than those from the US - probably due to the smaller supply of cards circulating in the EU.
Furthermore, fraudsters are now compromising the security of legitimate websites rather than using intentionally malicious sites or email attachments, the report discovered.
"Avoiding the dark alleys of the internet was sufficient advice in years past," said Stephen Trilling, vice president of Symantec Technology and Response.
"Today's criminal is focused on compromising legitimate websites to launch attacks on end-users, which underscores the importance of maintaining a strong security posture no matter where you go and what you do on the internet," he added.
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